CRIMINAL LAW
Spring 2012
Tuesdays and Thursdays
1:30 – 2:50 p.m.
Professor Angela J. Davis
Room 388
202-274-4230
angelad@wcl.american.edu
angelad56@gmail.com
OFFICE HOURS:
TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS
3 – 4:30 p.m. and by appointment
COURSE MATERIALS:
Joshua Dressler, CASES AND
MATERIALS ON CRIMINAL LAW
(5th Edition)
Additional Materials posted at mywcl
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:
All students should be prepared for class each day. At the end of each class, I will assign
the readings for the next class. All page numbers on the syllabus refer to the Dressler
textbook. Your grade will be based primarily on the final examination, but may be raised
one step for outstanding classroom participation. The final examination will be a threehour, open book exam.
I.
Crime and Criminalization
D.C. Criminal Process Overview (Chart posted on mywcl)
1 – 13
Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003) (syllabus only) (posted on mywcl)
II.
Principles of Punishment
30 – 39 (to end of note 1)
48 – 62 (to end of note 4)
Genarlow Wilson article (posted on mywcl)
Humphrey v. Wilson, 282 Ga. 520, 652 S.E.2d 501 (2007) (posted on mywcl)
Worldwide Prison Population Rates (posted on mywcl)
Selected Incarceration Rates Chart (posted on mywcl)
2
“Addressing Racial Disparities in Incarceration” (posted on mywcl)
III.
Actus Reus
Voluntary Act
127 – 135
Omissions
136 – 148
IV.
Mens Rea
149 – 170 (to end of note 7)
V.
Property Crimes and Robbery
916 – 918 (to end of note 1)
933 – 941 (to end of note 1)
Robbery and Property Crimes Chart (posted on website)
VI.
Homicide
Homicide Chart (posted on website)
Model Penal Code and State Homicide Statutes
235 - 247
A.
Intentional Killings
First Degree Premeditated Murder
253 – 258 (to end of note 7)
261 – 264 (to end of note 2)
Second Degree Murder (Intent to Kill or Seriously Injure)
258 – 260
Voluntary Manslaughter
264 – 276 (to end of part b)
B.
Unintentional Killings
Second Degree Murder (Extreme Recklessness)
295 – 304 (to end of note 7)
Involuntary Manslaughter
308 – 315 (to end of note 10)
3
C.
Felony Murder
315 – 326 (to end of note 2)
338 – 342
D.
The Death Penalty
345 – 369 (to end of note 5)
384 (note 3)
Death Penalty Fact Sheet (posted on mywcl)
The Death Penalty Around the World (posted on mywcl)
ALI Death Penalty Decision (NY Times article posted on mywcl)
VII.
Rape
385 – 410
411 – 434 (to end of note 5)
VIII.
Attempt
729 – 733 (to end of note 2)
736 (starting at section 2) – 745 (to end of note 2)
748 – 754 (to end of case)
IX.
Accomplice Liability
848 – 854
858 – 871
X.
Defenses
Introduction
480 – 483 (to end of section E)
A.
Defensive Force
Self-Defense
500 – 529 (to end of note 5)
Video Presentation
Battered Woman Syndrome
531 – 546(to end of note 10)
Defense of Others
4
549 – 553
Defense of Property and Law Enforcement Defenses
553 – 559
Video Presentation
B.
Necessity and Duress
560 – 579
583 – 586
C.
Insanity
611 – 625 (to end of note 2)
XI.
Video Presentation – “Murder on a Sunday Morning”